東京からのお客様・Guests from Tokyo

Abbot Miyoshi and Rev. Sonoda – both from Myoju-ji – visited San Francisco Nichiren-ji temple in late July.

東京ではお盆の仏事が新暦の7月に行われるとのことで、そのお勤めを済まされた後ベイエリア在住の檀家さんのためにお越しになりました。

In Tokyo, “obon” related activities are done in July (Gregorian calendar). The reverends had just completed their works in Tokyo,, and flew to San Francisco to attend to temple members living in the Bay Area.

お寺からお茶室をお借りして稽古をしている上、常々お世話になっておりますのでお二人をお迎えしてお茶を差し上げました。

As we are renting the tea room from the temple and Myoju-ji has been kind to us, we invited them for tea to show our gratitude.

Two (2) students from our Shachu served ko’icha and usucha, followed by tenshin (a bento version of kaiseki). According to one theory, the name “tensin” came from a zen expression: “A small meal (小食) alleviates (点) an empty (空) stomach (心)”.

Two friends of a student were visiting from Missouri, and they joined us to observe the tea ceremony. Afterwards they enjoyed the meal and tea that we served in the ryu’urei style (at a table with chairs). Abbot Miyoshi’s grandfather, Archbishop Nissho’u, presented a scroll of the Lotus Sutra and a letter of peace to then-President Truman in 1951 (the 26th year of the Sho’uwa Period). These items are now preserved at the Truman Library & Museum in Independence, Missouri. There was an excited conversation over this unexpected coincidence.